Circuit controlling device



Aug. 25, 1936. J, M AYT 2,052,083

CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed April 29, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I/[lllllllnk III! Ivwemfor:

J0 Jzmecs' Aug. 25, 1936. J DAYTON 2,052,083

CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed April 29, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 25, 1936. J. M. DAYTON CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed April 29, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE James M. Dayton, Torrington, Conn.

Application April 29,

Claims.

This invention relates to a circuit controlling system, and is particularly concerned with a circuit maker and breaker which is selectively operated according to certain conditions of the sys- 5 tem to be controlled.

One of the features of the present invention is the pro-vision of a circuit controlling device which is selectively operated for making and breaking a circuit at certain limiting positions of the ap- :paratus under control, in conjunction with means or obtaining a safety circuit control upon the happening of a non-normal condition of the apparatus to be controlled.

Another feature of the present invention is the i5 provision of a circuit maker and breaker which is actuated by the apparatus under control to produce the making and breaking at opposite limits of position of the apparatus, together with means for accomplishing a further breaking of the circuit when one end limit is exceeded, together with means for re-positioning the parts for further normal operations.

Other features of the invention relate to the details of assembly and construction as will appear hereinafter. One form of construction of the system and its parts is illustrated on the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a conventionalized diagrammatic view showing the connection of the .system for withdrawing a liquid from a primary storage tank and delivering it to a consuming device under a maintained constancy of head of pressure.

Figure 2 is an upright sectional view of the control apparatus substantially on line 2--2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View substantially on line 3-3 of Figure'2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view, on a larger scale, substantially on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views representing successive positions of moving structures substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a corresponding side elevational view, showing diagrammatically the position of the parts at another condition of operation.

In the drawings, the main storage tank T is connected by a suction pipe in with a pump P and thence by a supply pipe I I for delivering the pumped liquid into the basin or receptacle l2,

from which the liquid may flow through a conduit including a flexible section l3 and a rigid section II, to the control valve 15 by which it may be passed to a consuming device It. In these onventional drawings, it is assumed. that the con- 1933, Serial No. 668,669

'suming device 16 is an oil burner and that oil is the fluid being delivered.

Dependent upon the position in height of the receptacle I2, attained by the construction described hereinafter, a switch S is moved to open or closed position. When the basin [2 is full to the predetermined maximum, it is at its lowest position in height, and the switch S is then operated toopen the supply circuit comprising the conductors l? to the motor M which has been driving the pump P. The pump comes to a standstill, and thereafter the receptacle l2 continues its delivery of liquid through the conduit l3, 14 to the consuming device l9, from time to time and at such rates as may be controlled by 15 the valve l5. As the liquid leaves the receptacle l2, the receptacle rises until finally the switch S is closed again, the motor M energized, and the pump P delivers a further quantity of replacement liquid into the receptacle [2.

The operating parts comprising the receptacle, its support and the switch mechanism, are on a floor l8 and enclosed in a housing l9.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the basin or receptacle i2 is supported by three posts 20 which are provided with conical cavities at their lower ends resting upon the conical points 2| carried by the three-independent lever arms 22. These lever arms are each supported at their outer ends by independent links 23 carried by the independent a brackets 25 secured to the floor l 8. At their inner ends, the levers 22 are joined by links 25 to a common flexible tension member 26 which is secured to the upper end of a sector piece 21 constituting part of a counter-balancing lever having a threaded arm 28 upon which may be adjusted the counter-weight 29. A screw 30 permits maintaining the counter-weight 29 in adjusted position. The counter-weight lever 21, 28 is mounted by knife edges 31 on the standards 32 which likewise are secured to the floor l8.

For safety, the conical points 2| are surrounded by cups 35 which likewise are secured to the corresponding levers 22 but have their inner surfaces spaced from the posts 20 so that there is no interference to the relative movements of the parts.

One of the posts 29 has a control finger 40 secured rigidly thereto and extending in a substantial horizontal direction and having an open notch 4| at its free end. When the receptacle I2 .is emptying, the counter-balance 29 causes a rocking of the counter-balance lever 21, 28 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2), raising the tension member 26 and the inner ends of the levers 22 and thus raising the posts 20 and the receptacle l2 thereon. When liquid is delivered through the supply pipe H at a greater rate than the withdrawal through conduit l3, M, the weight of the receptacle and its contents causes a downward movement of the posts 20 and thus ultimately a counter-clockwise movement of the counterbalance lever 27, 28 in obvious manner. The control finger Gil takes part in these movements and its position is thus accurately determined by the prevailing position of the receptacle l2.

Rigidly mounted on the floor I8 below the free end of control finger is a supporting stirrup having a horizontal pivot 5i thereon for supporting the rocker piece 52. This rocker piece is illustrated as formed by bending a sheet of metal which is partly cut away at its bight. A pivot 53 on the rocker piece supports the down-turned ears 5A of a platform 55 to which are rigidly secured the clip fingers 56 which support the switch member S. In the illustrated form, this switch member 5 comprises a sealed glass tube having two terminals 57 therein at one end, and a drop 58 of mercury. The terminals are connected by conductors ii to the supply and motor as described above.

The platform 55 is also provided with a pair of downwardly extending ears 6i] which receive the upper leg of a U-shaped wire link 6! whose lower leg mayengage in the open notch 41 of control finger 40. a

. Pins 62 on the supporting stirrup 5!] limit the movement of the rocker 52.

A plunger ill is guided in the side wall of the housing I9 and by a support H mounted on the fioor l8, and has a transverse aperture at its inner end to receive the downwardly extending portion 12 of a resetting link 13 whose other end 14 is engaged to the right (Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7) of the lower leg of the link Bl. A collar 15 is secured to the plunger 10 to receive the thrust of the return spring 16 which normally holds the plunger in its righthand position. An external knob 11 on the plunger permits pulling it toward the left by hand.

7 The general operation of the system in supplying a fluid under a substantially constant head of pressure has already been set out. It is preferred ,to so construct and arrange the parts, and adjust the counter-weight 29, that the liquid level in the basin or receptacle l2 remains substantially constant with respect to a fixed point, regardless of the upward and downward movements of the basin or receptacle itself. In this way, a definite head of pressure is maintained on the consuming device I 6, although obviously a very close approximation to this condition is attained in the operation of the system even without such exact counter-balancing. It has, for example, been found in practice, that a variation of about one-eighth of an inch of the receptacle I2 is sufiicient to secure the operation of the control system, for starting and stopping the motor M.

While the receptacle is being supplied with liquid at a greater rate than. the Withdrawal thereof, the control finger 40 is being moved downwardly. Under such conditions, it drags downwardly on the U-shaped link 6| (Fig. 5) and therewith upon theears 60 so that the rocker. 52 is moved in a clockwise direction to the position shown in Figure 5. As soon as the switch S has passed the horizontal position of Figure 2, the mercury drop 58 leaves the terminals and the motor energizing circuit is opened.

As withdrawal occurs from the receptacle l2, the receptacle, moves upwardly with the control finger 40. For a while, there is no actuation of the link Bl, but when the lower surface of the notch 4i encounters the link 6i it forces the latter upwardly and thus causes a counter-clock- ,wise movement of the rocker 52 into the position shown in Figure 6, in which the switch S is closed again. The motor starts, and pumping is accomplished to replenish the receptacle i2.

This intermittent operation continues so long as liquid is present to a sufficient depth in the main storage tank T. V

When the main storage tank T is exhausted, the pump P cannot deliver a sufiicient quantity of liquid into receptacle E2 to bring the system to the position of Figure 5, for shutting 01f the motor M. Under such conditions, the motor M would continue to run indefinitely until the condition of the system was observed by the attendant.

The preferred form. of construction, shown in the present illustration, is not subject to this defeet. When the pump is'unable to deliver liquid into the receptacle I 2, but withdrawal therefrom occurs through conduit I3, I l, the'receptacle l2 continues to move upwardly beyond the normal predetermined high position at which the motor is started. Ultimately, the upward thrust of control finger 49 through link 6| causes a rocking of the platform 55 about the pivot 53 into the position shown in Figured, in which the switch S is tilted for opening. The motor is thus brought to a standstill, and the. entire system is'quiescent except for the delivery of the remaining quantity of liquid in receptacle l2.

When it is desired to start the apparatusragain, it is necessary to place further liquid in the main storage tank T, and to pull the knob 1! toward the left (Fig. 2) manually and immediately release it. The leftward movement of the link 13 causes it to engage the lower leg of the U-link BI and pull the latter out of the open notch 6-! into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The

'ciated parts then moves back into the position thereof shown in full lines in Fig. 6. The motor circuit is closed, and the pump P again delivers liquid into the receptacle I 2. As the'receptacle l2 moves toward a lower position, thecontrol finger 40 moves with it until ultimately the open notch 4| comes opposite the lower leg of link 6| so that the latter may enter and return to the former position. n

It is obvious that the invention is not limited solely to the form of construction shown, but that 'it may be modified in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

7 Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:e-'i

1. In a switch structure for operation by areciprocable control member normally moving between end positions determined by devices energized by circuits controlled by the switch and abnormally moving beyond one said end position in whereby to effect a reclosure of the switch from reopened position.

2. A switch structure as in claim 1, in which the control member and link include devices operating automatically during the subsequent movement of said control member to restore the link into said notch.

3. In a switch structure for operation by a reciprocable control member normally moving between end positions determined by devices energized by circuits controlled by the switch and abnormally moving beyond one said end position at which the switches close, a circuit breaker which when angularly positioned with one end down operates to close a said circuit and when angularly positioned with the other end down operates to open said circuit, a rocker moving between end positions, a support for the circuit breaker pivotally mounted on said rocker and normally moving therewith to open and close said circuit breaker at the end positions of said rocker, and a connection between said control member and said support operative for moving said rocker during the normal movement of the control member between its said end positions, and operative during the abnormal movement of the control member to move said support about its pivotal mounting on said rocker to eifect a reopening of the circuit breaker.

4. A switch structure as in claim 3, in which the control member has a notch in its end and the connection is a link pivoted to the support and normally resting in said notch, and in which means are provided for disengaging said connec- 5 tion from the notch to permit a reclosure of the circuit breaker after said support has been moved I relative to said rocker.

5. A switch structure as in claim 3 in which the control member has a notch in its end and the connection is a link pivoted to the support and normally resting in said notch, and in which means are provided for disengaging said connection from the notch to permit a reclosure of the circuit breaker after said support has been moved relative to said rocker, and in which said control member includes a structure providing one Wall of said notch and extending beyond the portion providing the other Wall of said notch for engagement with said link after it has been removed from its normal engagement and operative thereupon to return said link to its normal engagement.

JAMES M. DAYTON. 

